Brandon Kintzler

[William Malone]

Brandon Lee Kintzler was born on August 1, 1984 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in round 40 of the 2004 MLB Draft. The Padres released him after the 2005 season, with Kintzler only getting as high as Class-A. He didn't sign with any club in 2006, instead taking a job at a Las Vegas area Cold Stone Creamery while mending an injured shoulder. With his velocity down due to his injuries, Kintzler worked with fellow Las Vegas native Greg Maddux to develop a two seam fastball. He pitched for the Winnipeg Goldeneyes of the Northern League in 2007 and 2008, before joining the then-independent St. Paul Saints in 2009. Kintzler was an All-Star in the American Association for the Saints, and he signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers one day after striking out five of the six batters he faced in that All-Star Game.

Kintzler dominated various levels of the minors in 2010, recording a 1.47 ERA with 16 saves between Double-A and Triple-A. He reached the Majors as a September call-up later that season, remaining in Quad-A limbo over the next three seasons. Kintzler finally became a bullpen regular in 2013, appearing in 71 games with a 2.69 ERA. He followed this up with a solid 2014 season, but a late season knee injury forced him to miss most of 2015.

The Minnesota Twins signed Kintzler to a minor league contract on December 17, 2015. He had been limited to just 29.1 innings between the Majors and minors in 2015 while recovering from his 2014 knee surgery. A struggling Twins team added him to their big league roster during the first week of May. Kintzler got his first career save on June 8th, and was the full time closer by early July. He finished the season with a 3.15 ERA and 17 saves across 54 appearances.

He returned as Twins closer in 2017, and was named to the All-Star team after posting a 2.29 ERA with 24 saves in the first half. The Twins traded Kintzler to the Washington Nationals at the deadline. He continued to pitch well for the duration of the regular season, but ran into some issues during the 2017 postseason. Kintzler was the losing pitcher for Washington in game three of the 2017 NLDS, also allowing a run out of the bullpen in their 9-8 game five defeat.

The rest of his career was met with several ups and downs. He was acquired by the Cubs at the deadline in 2018, but was left off their playoff roster after owning a 7.00 ERA after the trade. Kintzler returned to Chicago in 2019, boasting a 2.68 ERA over 62 outings.

During the COVID shortened 2020 campaign, Kintzler served as the Miami Marlins closer and helped them reach the postseason for the first time since 2003. He recorded one save over three scoreless appearances in the 2020 postseason.

2021 was the final year of his big league career. Kintzler signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, but was designated for assignment with his ERA sitting above six in 29 appearances.

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